Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
AINSLEY
I ’m walking along the sidewalk toward Lyric and Aleksei’s house when I hear a sound. It’s faint, a soft meowing. I jump down into the drainage ditch and peek into the culvert. There is a small dark shadow.
“Mrs. Sokolov,” Damir says my name as I use my cell phone’s flashlight. “Do you know how dangerous this is?” He has a bitterness in his voice as he appears next to me.
We look into the culvert, and I see a small cat. Glancing around, I make sure it’s by itself before I climb in after it.
“Mrs. Sokolov, that’s too dangerous. Mr. Sokolov will be upset if he found out you crawled into a possible snake infested area.”
“Damir, my future husband isn’t even in the state. He’ll only find out if you tell him.”
I crawl out with the dirty little cat in my arms. It’s small for an adult cat. By the way it’s acting, snuggling in, and how soft it’s crying, I think it’s a large kitten. I won’t know until we get it to a vet.
As for Mikhail, he and the other guys all got called to go to Eastport to help protect Andrei’s sister, Ridley. They had to leave Thursday, the day after Mikhail and I decided to work on our relationship. I know he couldn’t prepare for what is happening there, but like him, I’m scared for him to leave me.
He’s been gone for two days already and has only been able to send me quick texts. Ridley’s boyfriend was shot and might not make it. Mikhail and the others are searching for the shooter.
On top of all that, Lyric is leaving tomorrow for Hawaii. She’ll be gone for two weeks. I don’t think Mikhail is going to wait for her to get back before we get married.
I want to marry him. I know it’s still for my protection, but I care about him. Now that I know he’s Master, the man I was already falling for, it makes it easier to care. I also believed him when he said he’s been trying to keep me safe for a while now. He knew who I was as soon as Lennon told them. He knew me.
I promised him I would stay here in the gated community, but this little cat needs to be treated and cleaned. Its fur is matted to its body, and it’s super skinny and small.
Damir helps me out of the ditch, and we head back to the house. I call Lyric and tell her I won’t be able to make it. She decides to come down to see me. She’s still recovering from the attack she sustained at the hands of Giovanni Costa. Her hand is still in the cast, and her ribs are still sore.
Damir and I arrange for a vet to come to the house to check on what we now know is a kitten. He’s a Maine Coon and will grow into a very large cat. He doesn’t care for anyone but me holding him. Giving him a bath was a bit crazy, but I got him cleaned up.
When Mikhail calls, I ask if we can video chat. He hits the button so we can, and as soon as he sees the kitten in my arms, he just shakes his head.
“ Zayka, what do you have there?” His voice is gruff, and he looks tired.
“He’s a kitten. I’ve named him Soot. The vet said he is only about eight weeks old and is going to need some special care.”
“Ainsley, baby, he could belong to someone, and they lost him.”
“I asked the community gate guards, and they said no one has this kind of cat. He was in a drainage ditch, all alone. I want to keep him. Please.” I’m not above begging. I’ve never been able to have a pet, and I’ve always wanted a cat.
“Okay, zayka , you can keep him. But if someone comes looking, you know you’ll have to give him back.” His lips tip up slightly.
“No, I won’t. Who’s going to cross us?” I give him a smug smile.
“ Zayka, are you going to use Bratva ties for your personal gain?”
“I’m not above it.” I chuckle, knowing what he’s really teasing me about. “I miss you, Master,” I say softly so only he can hear me.
“I miss you too, zayka . I’ll be home as soon as I can. Please be careful.”
“Okay. Bye.” I hang up, then go about getting the kitten ready for bed.
Tomorrow, I’ll send one of the soldiers to the pet store to pick up an online order I’ll place. He needs toys and more food than what the vet brought me. She also said she wants to see Soot again in a couple of weeks to make sure he’s growing properly.
* * *
Mikhail
A s the plane lands, I’m not only exhausted from tracking down the men who were after Ridley and her adopted daughter, but I couldn’t sleep without my girl. Since she’s been with me, I’ve grown attached to her. Dmitri and Andrei also pointed out how much they missed their girls.
Because our wedding had to be postponed, I’m marrying Ainsley tomorrow. I need her to have my name for her safety, and I can’t wait for the proof of her being mine. The problem is Lyric is gone for two weeks, and I hate making Ainsley choose between me and her sisters.
When we pull up to the gated community, I’m anxious. I called before we left Eastport to tell Ainsley we were finally headed home. She said she’d wait up for me, but I told her she didn’t have to. My body craves her in ways it hasn’t anyone before her. I didn’t lie when I told her I had no subs before her at the club. That she was my only. I want to wake her up with my mouth on her body. I want to play with her little piercing and drive her crazy like I’ve been the last few days without her.
Now, I’m standing over her body as she sleeps in our bed. The sheet and comforter have slipped, revealing the sexy curve of her naked back.
As I undress, she slowly rolls over, and her eyes flutter open. She looks up at me with my hand wrapped around my cock.
“Is that for me?” Her sexy voice has a husky quality to it from sleep.
“Always.”
She moves to the side of the bed and kisses the underside of my cock. My body shudders. She teases me for a moment. Licking, sucking, and massaging my heavy balls.
“Put it in your mouth, zayka ,” I order through clenched teeth. I’m barely hanging on at this moment.
She opens her sexy lips, and I slide into her mouth, pushing deeply into her throat. My eyes cross from the warmth as she runs her tongue along the underside.
I pump in and out of her mouth a few times. She shifts, and with her hands on my balls, she sucks me, hollowing her cheeks. I’m going to come in her mouth, and I don’t want that.
I push her off me, and she whimpers as she lies back. Her body writhing. I position her so her legs are hanging off the edge of the bed and open her up to me. She’s already leaking her essence, her clit swollen and demanding. I lean down and give her clit and piercing a slow lick before I rise up and press my aching cock into her tight body. She grips her tits and starts rolling the nipples in her fingers as I power in and out of her.
“This is going to be fast this first time, zayka . I’ve missed you and your sweet cunt.”
“Please, Master. Please,” she begs, and I reach down to thumb her clit and tweak her piercing.
She screams and clamps down on me. I power through her tightness, then press in deep and come, splashing her insides with my cum. I’m still hard and ready for more, so I pull out and roll her over to take her from behind.
I dominate her most of the night. When we finally wake the next morning, I take her in the shower before we head downstairs for coffee and for her to take care of our new little pet, Soot.
“I know you wanted your sister here, but we need to get married soon. I’d like to do it today.” I try not to make it sound like an order.
She rises up from where she was bent over feeding and petting Soot.
“Lyric didn’t wait for me to be there, so I don’t mind. Why the rush?”
“The families have all agreed you are off limits, but there is still this unknown attacker. I’ve studied as much as I could from the cameras. I can’t find anything but a car that traces back to the Irish through a shell company.” I pause before continuing, making sure she understands the severity of the situation. “MacElvoy told Andrei you were safe. It wasn’t him or his men who would put a hit out on you. But I still want you to have my name.”
“For my safety.” Her head drops, and I know why she’s saying this. I caused this, and it will take some time for her to understand I care about her.
I walk over to her and lift her chin so she’s looking me in the eye. “I’ve told you already, zayka . I’ll keep telling you until you believe it. I’ll marry you to protect you, yes. But I’ll also marry you because I want you to be mine.” I lean down and kiss her as the doorbell rings.
I’d already gotten the alert that the crew to help with the wedding was here. I hired a local salon to come do her hair and makeup. I’ve also had our personal shopper gather several gowns for Ainsley to choose from.